The Veil

by Stuart Meczes

  We followed the old man down the galleries that ran between each tier of seating – him waiting patiently with folded arms for others blocking our way to take their seats – until we reached a set of steps, which he climbed agonizingly, until we were about twenty rows higher than the Patron section. From all around us came the strong smell of salt water, mixed with an astringent dampness that reminded me of public swimming pools. The man led us to a run of seven seats between a young Pixie couple and an Imp, who stared at us for several beats too long. Each chair was carved from marble and supported a cluster of cushions. In addition, each chair had a wooden box resting on it.

  “Hajik churah.” For you.

  He bowed and motioned to leave.

  “Wait.” I pulled my currency card from my robe and was about to offer it for a tip, but Danny beat me to it.

  The man glanced at the card and then waved his hands in front of his chest. “Ver.” No.

  He scurried away and Danny shrugged, pocketing his card and then removing the box before taking his seat along with the rest of us. I wondered whether it was in some way impolite to offer a tip in Fenodara. Grey gave a chuckle and I glanced over. His box lid was open and he was holding a bottle of cola and a bag of pork scratchings in his hand. “Human food. Can you believe it?”

  Hollie wavered her hand. “Barely human food.”

  “Oh the irony of a Vegetarian hunter,” quipped Danny. Hollie dug an elbow into his side as Grey pulled open the packet, wincing as his teeth broke apart the hard crackling inside.

  “Can you imagine the import tax?” joked Troy as he opened his box.

  A murmur of laughter bounced between us as I opened mine. Inside was a bottle of lemonade and a large bag of salt and vinegar crisps. I took them both out and set the box down behind my feet. Not long after I had popped the seal on my drink and taken an eye-watering swig, a second bell chimed – much louder than before now that we were closer – and the all of the doors to the Aquadome were cranked shut.

  In an instance, the atmosphere shifted from the sizzle of anticipation to pure electricity. The lights in the Aquadome winked out, and at the same moment spotlights within the pool bloomed into life, drawing everyone’s focus. The crowd started to clap in a slow rhythmic pattern, which grew steadily in speed and intensity. There was a series of cranking sounds as two statues shaped like Cetus – vine-coated mouths wide open and facing centre – rose from the depths and broke the surface like salvaged artifacts. The statues were oddly translucent in colour, like the skin of a jellyfish, and I could see the water dripping and draining inside them.

  The clapping grew louder and faster.

  Not knowing what else to do, I joined in. It was hard not to get caught up in the atmosphere, and my heart started beating faster as I waited to see what would happen next. I imagine this is what the Trials of the Chosen were like. Wish I’d managed to watch at least some of them before everything kicked off.

  A man’s voice burst out over a series of hidden speakers – deep and with the confidence of someone who had been doing the job for a long time. He spoke in Qi’lern, his voice riding over the sound of the booming claps.

  “Divine Blessings, good citizens of Fenodara. It is my, Gamesmaster Henrick Deghal’s, distinct pleasure to welcome you all to the one hundred and twenty second cycle of the Kor’Istis Games!”

  The clapping exploded into a feverous series of cheering and shouts, the sound echoing around the arena like a vocal pinball, battering my eardrums with its sheer volume.

  “This year will see a new selection of daring Merfolk, who have braved great dangers travelling from some of the darkest corners of Pandemonia to compete for the coveted prize of Honoured Champions. As you know, the troupe who claims first place in this knockout tournament will not only be given a trophy and a premium currency card each, but they will also be naturalized as Pandemonian citizens along with their families, meaning they will live safe and provided for, for the rest of their lives! Now, it is time to introduce the first troupe competing for the top prize!”

  Henrick’s words really hit home just how dire the situation in Pandemonia must have been, if its inhabitants were prepared to travel across the entire world and risk likely death only for the slim chance to secure a safe future for themselves and their families. The worrying second thought I had was that it wasn’t all that dissimilar to refugees in our world, who braced raging oceans and harsh landscapes to escape their war torn countries and find a place they could call home. Are the worlds really all that different, or is Pandemonia just a glimpse of the world Earth could become?

  The cheers carried on, echoing around the Aquadome as the commentator fell silent for a moment. The spotlights shining into the pool turned on their axis, aiming towards the centre, and revealed a large circular opening – that was currently sealed shut. After a moment it started to yawn open, releasing a stream of bubbles into the pool. In an instant, a group of five Mermen had burst through, swirling around each other in a whirlpool of fins and limbs. Their green tinged skin made them look like sleek frogs, darting through the water, their black eyes with white pupils scanning the crowd as they parted their wide mouths into showmanship smiles.

  “The Merlake Magnificents!”

  A deafening roar burst from the crowd as the Mermen shot out of the water like darts, twirling in the air and gracefully slipping back under the waves in a spectacular routine. I saw that each of them wore blue headbands and paint the same colour spread over their green-tinged skin in various markings. I also noticed – with a frown – that a few of them had a belt attached to their waist, holstering a sharp-looking blade.

  The Mermen swam over to the rightmost area of the pool and sank to the bottom in a line, their bodies hunched over and foreheads pressed against the tiles, arms outstretched.

  “Now for our second troupe, the Fractured Isle Furies!”

  A second group of Mermen poured from the hole, performing their own acrobatic routine to the cheers of the crowd. Like the Magnificents, they eventually moved over to the opposite side of the pool and sank into the exact same position, silent and still, except from the slow expanding and constricting of their gills.

  “For those new to the Kor-Istis, the rules are quite simple. It is a full-contact game played over four quarters, each lasting six minutes. The aim of the game is to shoot the Oris into the mouth of Cetus until it becomes full.

  “However, each troupe’s statue is placed at the opposite end of the arena and is protected by two armed Sentinels, who are permitted to do anything beyond killing their opponents to prevent them from scoring if they enter the scoring zone. They cannot leave that zone, though, or they will sacrifice a water rise to the other troupe.

  “The two unarmed Blazers from each troupe are the only ones permitted to score, and doing so with a head or a tail will double the amount that the statue fills! This is also the case outside of the scoring zone, but only with a tail, which is no easy feat!

  “Lastly, each team features a Hunter, whose sole job is to try and steal the Oris before their opponent breaks into the scoring zone and pass it off to a Blazer. It is also their job to protect the Blazers from becoming wounded to the point that they cannot continue. Hunters are permitted to attack each other as well as the opponents Blazers. To win, either a troupe must fill their Cetus statue first or three of the other team’s members must be too injured to continue.”

  I glanced at Gabriella and we frowned at each other. Just how injured can they get?

  The long explanation had lowered the energy of the crowd down to an acceptable level. The commentator seemed to be aware of this unacceptable fact, as his next words were loud and boomed through the speaker. “One minute left until the games begin. Activate the scoring zones!”

  The crowd burst back into life as a run of red lights burst into life at either ends of the pool, creating a twenty-foot semicircle. The wavering water caught in each of the powerful beams looked like swirling blood.

  “Tro
upes, to your positions!”

  Every Merman reacted in unison, unfolding from their prayer positions and swimming over to specific points in the pool. The two Sentinels moved into wide positions at the rims of either scoring zones and unsheathed their blades, poised and ready to attack. The Hunters hugged either wall at the centre area of the pool, and they prepared their own weapons. Just beyond the Hunters floated the remaining Blazers – unarmed but looking just as focused and determined as all the others.

  A flash of light from the walls bloomed into life on the arena walls, catching my attention. I glanced up to see that a massive electronic banner had activated – sweeping around the entirety of the Aquadome above our heads. Symbols bloomed into life and started switching every second, and in response the excited crowd started to say them aloud.

  “D’hei!”

  “Adris!”

  “Hikah!”

  “Zurin!”

  My mind translated them from Qi’lern into English.

  “Fifteen!”

  “Fourteen!”

  “Thirteen!”

  “Twelve!”

  When the countdown reached ten the commentator burst back into life to the clapping hands of the spectators.

  “Release the Oris!”

  4

  Alex

  What looked like a glowing red Frisbee with a large hollow in the centre shot out of the hole at the bottom of the pool, rotating on its axis like a spun coin. It slowed in the water until it stopped completely, its radiant glow turning the water around it a blood red. All of the Mermen’s eyes snapped to it, and their focus didn’t move, their gills going motionless as they held their breath in preparation.

  “FIVE!”

  Tails started to churn against the water, as each prepared to propel themselves forward.

  “FOUR!”

  Muscles twitched as they were held back from action.

  “THREE!”

  Eyes narrowed and shoulders were hunched.

  “TWO!”

  Scaled knuckles flexed against knife grips.

  “ONE!”

  Teeth grit together.

  A siren blared out across the arena, and the Mermen burst forward in a torrent of water and action. The Magnificent’s Blazer reached the Oris first, spiraling around and avoiding a dagger slash from a chasing Hunter. He cast the Oris just like a Frisbee and it carved through the water and into the outstretched hand of his fellow Blazer. The receiving Merman swam hard through the water towards the scoring zone, with the Furies’ Hunter hot on his tail.

  A knife swiped out towards him, but it was deflected by the shoulder of Magnificent’s own Hunter, on protection. The blade slid through scales and the crowd ‘oooohed’ as a plume of blueish blood clouded into the water. I grit my teeth together and glanced at Gabriella, who had her hand covering her mouth in horror. The two hunters went at it then, swiping blades at each other; their weapons let out dulled clanging sounds as they connected.

  All eyes returned to the Blazer as he broke towards the scoring zone and turned sharply upwards, tail propelling him like a rocket. The action was mirrored by the defending Sentinels, some twenty feet beyond him. The Blazer let the Oris fall from his hand and somersaulted in the water, smacking the disc hard with his tail – a slap shot that screamed forward with unbelievable speed. It sped past the reaching hands of the Sentinels and towards the open mouth of Cetus. The whole crowd fell into stunned anticipation, which broke into disappointment when it connected with the edge of the statue’s maw and ricocheted back out into the playing field.

  A hand snatched the Oris and the screen showed a close-up of the second Magnificent Blazer – who had snuck undetected into the scoring zone – flick his wrist and send the Oris flying straight into the statue’s mouth. A blaring siren rang out around the arena and a thundering cheer went up as the lower section of the translucent statue began to fill with dark red fluid.

  “A triumphant goal by Blazer Carvel from the Merlake Magnificents puts his team in front!” shouted the commentator. Whistles and claps were added to the cheers from the engrossed crowd. The beaten Sentinels slapped at the water in anger and avoided narrow-eyed glances from their troupe, as the two Blazers swirled around each other and exchanged a celebratory high-five before moving back to the centre of the pool.

  All the players moved back to their relevant positions, the Magnificent’s Hunter nursing a pretty bad wound on his shoulder, where he had intercepted the attack on his fellow Blazer. He opened a very small pouch on his belt I hadn’t noticed and smeared some kind of white, waterproof cream on the injury. After a few seconds, it stopped bleeding.

  Grey leaned over towards Gabriella and me. “This is absolutely awesome!”

  Gabriella said nothing in reply, so he shrugged and took a sip of his drink, then leaned over towards Danny on the opposite side to say the same thing. I was still on the fence. There was no denying the impressive spectacle, but it was a bit violent for my taste…like watching a boxing match where both boxers are suddenly given knives and told to go at it.

  A second siren sounded and the Oris shot out of the hole once again. All Blazers went for it, but it was one of the Furies who collected it this time. He searched around for his teammate, but instead found the fist of an opposing Blazer, which slammed hard enough into his mouth that even I winced. The attacking Merman tried to snatch the Oris, but the Blazer recovered quickly, jerking his own elbow into his opponent’s gills. The shimmering eyes of the Merman glazed over as he was stunned.

  Another one of the Furies caught sight of his fellow Blazer, who made some kind of hand gesture and started swimming hard towards the surface. The Oris-holding Merman arched his arm and threw upwards at an angle, seconds before a Hunter’s knife raked across his abdomen, creating a foot-long gash.

  “Shit!” I gasped in alarm. At the same time, Gabriella’s hand grabbed my arm in a tight grip. The Merman doubled over and fell still, as thick plumes of blood spilled into the water around him. But no one else was checking to see if he was okay. The rest of the spectators were only concerned with the Oris, which was shooting upwards in parallel to the second Blazer. Oris and Merman broke surface at the same time, and in a display of pure skill, the Blazer sent his tail shooting over his own back and slapped the Oris back down. It screamed back into the water like a flaming comet, glancing the cheek of a Magnificent Sentinel and nestling straight into the mouth of Cetus.

  The crowd went absolutely wild, standing up and clapping with their hands over their heads as the scoring Blazer slid back under the surface.

  “Dear Elementals, what a stunning doublescore goal by Blazer Idrin of the Fractured Isle Furies! Citizens, it simply doesn’t get much better than that!”

  The triumphant Blazer went to find his teammate and celebrate, but his grinning face broke into concern when he saw that the other Blazer was still floating face down, blood rolling out around him in a cloud of dark blue tendrils. As he tried to rouse his teammate, the others simply moved back to their positions.

  Gabriella jumped to her feet. “Isn’t someone going to help him, for god’s sake!?” she yelled, an outburst that earned her nothing but odd glances from those around us.

  I took hold of her arm. “Gabriella.”

  She shook my hand off. “No, this is wrong.”

  She’s right. It’s messed up. But…it’s their tradition and we’re in their city. Is it our place to say anything? “Come on, sit down. I’m sure he’ll be fine.” I glanced back up at the floating Merman. He certainly doesn’t look fine.

  “I’m with Gabriella. This is a bit vicious,” said Hollie, a frown on her face.

  “It is pretty hardcore, bro,” agreed Mikey. “I mean, knives are a bit extreme in a sporting event right?” Danny and Troy nodded in agreement.

  “It seems that Blazer Gendrel from the Fractured Isle Furies has received quite the injury,” said the commentator, as if he had only noticed the blatant casualty for the first time. The crowd’s cheering settled
slightly, but a handful of absolute assholes cheered, as if it were some kind of victory to be celebrated.

  “Blazer Idrin, can you confirm if he is dead or not? If he is, it is automatic disqualification for the Merlake Magnificents.”

  The Merman continued to check his friend’s vitals. The Hunter from the other team who had attacked him looked nervous – but I couldn’t tell if that was concern for the life he had potentially taken, or the possibility of losing the game for his troupe. Blazer Idrin smeared a ton of the substance from his pouch all over the wound and waited for a moment longer, one of his webbed hands placed behind Blazer Gendrel’s neck gills. After a moment the wounded Blazer started to make some signs of movement, shaking his head and then raising his chin upright. His teammates’ faces broke into smiles, and the other Blazer made a rolling gesture with his hand. A series of claps broke out in the crowd.

  “Blazer Idrin has just given the signal that the game can continue!” boomed Henrick in a cheery voice. “Blazer Gendrel is still with us it seems, just temporarily unconscious. I was sure he was dead. What a tough contender!”

  “See, look, he’s okay, Huntmaster,” said Grey through a mouthful of pork scratchings. “We all know that Merfolk are tough sons of bitches. Hell you remember how hard it was to take out that nutty bunch who’d taken to drowning swimmers in Hampstead ponds.”

  Normally it was a given that Grey would say the wrong thing in any given situation, but for once his words had a calming effect on Gabriella. Her shoulders sagged and she sat back down, crossing her arms and wearing a sullen expression on her face. I leaned backwards and gave him a subtle nod. He gave a nod back.

  It wasn’t that I didn’t care about what happened to the Mermen – Guardians were killers, but we only killed when it needed to be done. Life was a precious thing that should never be snatched away arbitrarily. It was just that we were all here on a dangerous and serious set of missions, and I wanted the guys to relax as much as they could and enjoy themselves before all the fun disappeared – which I knew it would. And as much as I loved her, Gabriella wasn’t the only one I had to look out for, and I knew that she was more than capable of looking after herself.